President Trump, through an executive order, commanded the Department of Health and Human Services to terminate several health advisory committees, including the Advisory Committee on Long COVID as well as the Health Equity Advisory Committee for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The order was put in place as a means to reduce the size of the federal government in an attempt to curb government waste and reduce inflation.
Although the end result may result in significant cost savings, dismantling such key health committees may undermine efforts to address complex health issues like long COVID and health disparities.
The long COVID advisory committee consisted of 14 unpaid members who were charged with providing recommendations on research, treatment and interventions in helping individuals suffering from the disease. The condition refers to a range of symptoms that persist for at least three months after an initial infection with COVID-19 subsides, according to the CDC. Typical symptoms include fatigue, headache, chest pain, difficulty breathing, depression and difficulty concentrating, among other symptoms.
The executive order could have devastating consequences for the over 20 million Americans that suffer from long COVID. The advisory committee was critical in identifying research priorities, fostering collaboration with scientists and informing policy changes with respect to long COVID, which is a debilitating disease that is recognized as a disability under federal law. Without the committee in place, there will surely be gaps in policy development as well as reduced public awareness and understanding of the condition.
It does not help that the Trump administration has also removed important information and public data on long COVID from federal websites. Lack of transparency in sharing critical health information can eventually lead to misdiagnosis and inadequate care. The end result could mean millions of Americans with worsening disabilities and health outcomes from long COVID.
Another equally important advisory committee that will be terminated under President Trump’s executive order includes the Health Equity Advisory Committee for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This committee identifies and reduces systemic barriers to healthcare access to marginalized communities like people of color, those who are poor and those with limited access to healthcare resources such as those that live in rural areas of America.
This particular committee is critical in identifying gaps in care for so many vulnerable Americans, many of which who do not have a voice to address their own needs. Without this committee, how will the needs of minorities and those that are marginalized be addressed?
There is no shortage of health disparities and health inequities in the United States. As examples, individuals of certain racial ethnic groups, low-income families and those that live in rural areas face significant barriers in accessing high-quality healthcare. States with the largest population of Black Americans have disproportionately higher rates of uninsured people. Low-income rural Appalachian families have 35% fewer mental health providers when compared to the rest of the nation. Finally, Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer when compared to White women.
These alarming health inequities should be an impetus for the federal government to expand, not curtail these important health advisory committees. The decision to terminate these indispensable health advisory committees will hinder progress in understanding long COVID and will exacerbate existing and growing health disparities across America.
One thing remains clear- physicians and healthcare personnel must start advocating for health and health policy, because it is becoming clearer that the federal government is not.
